Must be a process flow problem if they're going to that much trouble Grab you a chair and watch their frustration with the process for a week or month until you understand why they are going to that much effort
Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 1, 2014, at 4:52 PM, Mike Copeland <[email protected]> wrote: > > All, > > I have a problem with end users hand-keying information that should be > scanned with a barcode scanner to improve accuracy. > > Here's the gist of the issue... > Every piece of inventory has a barcode sticker on it representing a unique > serial #, always 8 characters long. > (My application offers a way to reprint the barcode label in case this label > gets torn, damaged.) > > What I need to force, somehow, is that the # represented on the barcode label > MUST be scanned by a simple barcode scan gun connected to the computer. > > As ya'll know, all the scanner does is convert the barcode data into standard > keyboard keystrokes and stuff the data into the keyboard buffer...really > fast. In other words, a very fast, very accurate typist. But most > importantly, the CORRECT # is input (so that the correct inventory item is > recorded as 'processed.') > > The problem is that the users hand-key the number at the prompt...and > frequently hand-key it wrong. > > So, to try to stop the hand-keying I removed the human-readable text under > the barcode on the label. So now, you either scan it or you learn to read > barcode by eye. One would hope/think that this would have solved the > problem...but no. > > Now (by watching security video footage) we find that they are > 1. opening Notepad > 2. scanning the barcodes, which enters the barcode data in human readable > form, obviously > 3. then hand keying the data into my application when they should use the > scanner. > > And...errors are being made regularly. And, yes, training, threats, etc. have > been tried. > > From the application's viewpoint, the only difference between a barcode > scanner providing input and a human typing on a keyboard is the speed with > which the data is input. > > So, my last-ditch idea to force scanning and negate hand-keying is to, > somehow, use a timer on the input. Set the timer to a short time, like 1 > second, which is faster than 99% of humankind can type 8 characters. Start > the timer on the first keystroke and when the timer fires again if the length > of the input is less than 8, clear the input...because they're not scanning. > > My question, is this nuts? Is there a better way? Am I barking at the moon? > Begging for problems? Any other Ideas? > > Thanks for feedback. > > Mike Copeland > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
